Unit 2 FRQs
2) a.) Identify one specific trend evident in the figure below b.) choose two of the following and use each to explain why southern voters from 1948 to 200 were electing Democratic candidates for the presidency .incumbency advantage .gerrymandering .differences between state and national parties c.) select three of the following groups and for each explain how parties have changed in composition with respect to that group .Catholics .labor union members .women .social conservatives
2a. One trend that is shown in the data is that since around 1950, the percent of southern state seats in the House held by Democrats has gradually declined. However, the percent of southern state electoral votes for Democratic presidential candidates has sparked up and down over the last 60 years. 2b. Incumbency advantage- southern voters continued to vote for republican presidential candidates, however they also voted for democratic candidates because of the incumbency advantage they had. Gerrymandering- district lines protected the democrats even though there were more republican seats in the presidential elections. 2c. Catholics have changed from being reliable democrats to being somewhat unpredictable and swaying towards republican. Labor union workers were generally more democratic but since their numbers have decreased, they have become less reliable. Since the number of women voters has increased, their democratic support has also increased.
4a) explain how divided government has contributed to the decline in trust and confidence in government. be sure to include a definition of divided government in your response. b) explain how the increased cost of election campaigns has contributed to the decline in government c) explain two specific consequences of the decline in trust and confidence in government for individual political behavior
a) A divided government is when the presidency and congress are controlled by different political parties. This contributes to the decline in trust and confidence in government because since there is so much disagreement between the two parties little work gets done, b) Increased cost of election campaigns has contributed to the decline in trust and confidence in government because the high cost of the campaign process causes many people not to run for office. Also there are increased connections for large donors, and a lot of the candidates time is put towards raising money, so the candidates aren't as focused on their plans if they get elected. Since regular people can't contribute anything significant to the campaign they feel they are invisible to the candidate. c) One consequence of the decline in trust and confidence in government is low voter turnout. People do not put effort into a system they don't trust. Another consequence is the increase of people registering as independents.
a) Using the map below, identify one of the numbered regions with strong support for the democratic presidential candidate and identify and explain two factors that contribute to that support. b) Using the map below, identify one of the numbered regions with support for the republican presidential candidate and identify and explain two factors that contribute to that support.
a) Region 1 on the map displays strong support for the Democratic presidential candidate as it voted for Clinton, the Democratic Candidate, in both 1992 and 1996. The first factor is the amount of large cities or urban areas, such as Portland, Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Cities tend to attract younger people, more single people, and those part of a lower socioeconomic class due to the more active style of living and cheaper living options. Another factor that contributes to the disproportionately Democratic West coast is that these large cities attracts immigrants and minorities, due to the work availability and more diverse climate. Both groups show patterns of voting Democratic, as the Democrats support programs favoring these groups such as relaxed immigration reform, and nationwide healthcare. b) Region 3 did not vote for clinton in 1992 or 1996, demonstrating strong Republican support. One factor causing this is that this area of the country is more rural. Those who live in more rural areas tend to have more money, which correlates to favoring the Republican. Additionally, region 3 has high Christian and Protestant populations. Republicans, for the most part, opt for supporting conservative policies these religions favor, such as anti-abortion. Republicans also support "personal responsibility", which is highly valued by these religions.
1) a.) Identify two characteristics of a valid, scientific, public opinion poll b.) explain why each of the following enhances the influence of public opinion on the voting decisions of members of congress . Strong public opinion as expressed in polling results .Competitive re-election c.) Explain why each of the following limits the influence of public opinion on the voting decisions of members of congress .Legislators' voting records . Party leadership
a.) One characteristic of a valid, scientific, public opinion poll is having a low margin of error. A low margin of error means that the accuracy of the public opinion poll is high. In a sample of around 1,000 people is 4%. Another characteristic of a valid public poll is having a non-biased question with clear wording. B.) Strong public opinions as expressed in polling results enhances the influence of public opinion on the voting decisions of members of congress, because they want to agree with the citizens voting so they get re-elected. If the public shows through poll they like/dislike something that the candidate is doing, the candidate will change their actions, and policies just to make the public happy. Competitive re-elections enhances the influence of public opinion on the voting decisions of members of congress because since the election is so close, the candidates really want to please the people. They will do whatever it takes to win the election, so they will represent the needs of the people. c) Legislators' voting records limit the influence of public opinion on the voting decisions of members of congress because they want to be viewed as consistent, and reliable towards their voters. they need to keep their stance on issues the same and unpersuaded because the voters want someone who stays constant with their voting. Party leadership limits the influence of public opinion on the voting decisions of members of congress because party loyalty is more important than public opinion in party member's eyes. Keeping the same ideals as party members will help obtain more votes.
3a) Describe how each of the following is related to the likelihood of voting .age .education b) identify one current govenrment electoral requirement that decreases voter turnout. Explain how it decreases voter turnout. c) identify one linkage institution other than elections and explain two ways it connects citizens to government.
3a. There are many factors relating to voter turnout; two major ones are age and education. The obvious way that age affects voter turnout is the limit; people under the age of 18 are not permitted to vote. Senior citizens are much more likely to vote in the hopes to preserve the rights given to them by the federal government like retirement money. Seniors also tend to have more free time to vote. People in their mid 40s and younger are the least likely to vote due to busy schedules and the voter registration process. Another factor is education; more educated people are more likely to vote than less educated people. Someone with an education will be more likely to educate themselves on the candidates and will want to protect the rights they are aware of. 3b. One government electoral requirement that decreases voter turnout is having to register to vote at 18. It is inconvenient for people and they do not want to go through the process of signing themselves up. 3c. A linkage institution that connects citizens to government is the media. Especially now, media is very prevalent in every aspect of life. Media conveys people's opinions to the government so they can better understand what they want and make change according to the wants of the people. Another way media links citizens and government is by telling people what is going on in the government. There are hundreds of websites, social medias, magazines, and news outlets filling the people in on what their government is doing.
